


Message From the Grave

by junko



Series: Scatter and Howl [65]
Category: Bleach
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-25 05:03:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13827057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junko/pseuds/junko
Summary: Renji and Byakuya continue on their way to visit the Kuchiki graveyard on the anniversary of Hisana's death.  With the clan war still fomenting, what will they confront along the way?





	Message From the Grave

**Author's Note:**

> The title is a reference not only to this story, but to my return from the "dead."

The first time something crackled in the underbrush, Renji ignored it. He told himself it was just some animal or other, a tanuki or fox. The second time, he stopped and set down the picnic basket. Lifting his nose as if to test the wind, he put his hand on Zabimaru. 

Renji extended his reiatsu. A sensation came to him like a scent on the breeze: the smell of fear and steel. Someone was out there.

Glancing over, Renji wondered if he needed to say anything to alert Byakuya. Byakuya must have had the same sense because he’d paused as well. Like Renji, he had automatically gone into a defensive stance--though he looked a little less terrifying, given that he was holding delicate plum blossoms like a club. Projecting loud enough to be heard some distance, Byakuya said: “If my grand-uncle’s assassins think grief has dulled my blade, they should know that it has only sharpened it.”

“Yeah,” Renji agreed. Pulling Zabimaru out, he released its toothy blade. “Plus, this here blade is hungry enough to make fast work of you fools.”

“Numbers will not help you,” Byakuya said, turning so that his back was guarded by Renji’s. He lifted a hand, and Renji could feel spiritual pressure rising in him, readying for a kidō blast. “Nor should you depend on our mercy.”

With a snapping whip, Renji sent Zabimaru’s jagged blades out to cleanly slice the green tips of the bamboo shoots. “You heard the man,” Renji grinned toothily and snarled: “Bring it.”

The woods was suddenly filled with the sound of mercenaries running away. 

Renji lunged forward, ready to pursue. The blade snapped forward, catching on something like a shoulder, but before he could yank Zabimaru back to see what they’d caught, Byakuya’s voice stopped him.

“Let them go, Renji.”

Renji barely suppressed an ‘awwwww.’ Pulling up on Zabimaru, Renji released their prey. He felt Zabimaru’s hiss reverberating through zanpakutō and soul, as the flesh of whoever they’d snagged slid through the blade, escaping. Once the steel had retracted, he flicked away the blood. Renji returned Zabimaru to their sheath with a grumble that was echoed by the Baboon King. Sword and man were frustrated by inaction. “I’m gonna have to go Hollow hunting; Zabimaru is getting malnourished.”

“Mmm, indeed,” Byakuya nodded absently. “But, surely such easy prey as these retainers would have been no real meal for a demon such as yourselves at any rate.”

Renji straightening his kosode. Somehow the simple movement had busted loose one of the ties. Renji stopped his fussing to give Byakuya a hard look. 

Not that long ago, Byakuya would never have meted out this kind of praise--at all, but particularly to the demon. Opening his mouth, Renji started to tease Byakuya, to ask him if he was feeling alright, but then he remembered the conversation from earlier this morning. Instead, Renji gave Byakuya a smart bow. “Appreciated, sir.”

Zabimaru preened.

Byakuya’s lips turned up in a slight smile. “I would have let you take them down, but they’re far more shamed having to return to Hirako’s father with news of their failure.”

Renji grunted in assent and picked up the picnic basket.

As they continued down the path to the gravesite, Renji wondered, in fact, if the retainers would survive that shame. Killing them now might have spared them the pain of seppuku… or whatever other punishment the Kuchiki lord might inflict. Hopefully, it wouldn’t involve their entire family.

Renji never did figure how that dumbass ‘law’ worked. How could a guy’s entire family be responsible for his own stupidness? You’d think, too, given how rare a thing a family was, the nobles of the Seireitei wouldn’t be so fucking quick to waste it. 

But, Byakuya’d been ready to, too… until he’d suddenly thought of another solution, albeit one that was just as archaic. “Hey,” Renji picked up the pace to walk side-by-side with Byakuya. “Since we’re doing the complimenting thing, have I told you recently how smart I think you are?”

“I’m not sure you’ve ever told me you thought me particularly intelligent,” Byakuya said, hiding another smile by turning his head away and feigning interest in the small flowers yesterday’s rain had teased from the moss growing on the large granite boulder they passed. Renji wished he wouldn’t always feel the need to do that. He liked seeing Byakuya smile.

“Well, I do,” Renji said, with a tug on his ear. “The hostage thing. That’s good thinking.”

“You’re not the only one to think so,” Byakuya mused. “My lady aunt also said as much.”

“Wow,” was all Renji could think to say. 

“Just so,” Byakuya said amiably. 

They came to a small incline--a gnarled oak’s roots made a natural set of stairs. Once they reached the top, Renji could see a tall stone wall. They’d reached the family gravesite. For some reason, he’d expected a singular stone, but from what he could discern, there were several dozen, darkly polished stones. 

Perhaps noticing Renji’s curiosity, Byakuya said, “Faithful companions, mostly. Some retainers, as well. I would have given you a place here, had things gone differently.”

Gone differently? Like, if Renji’d died when Senbonzakura shredded him. “But, I was a traitor, a wartime deserter… would the Gotei have wanted my name on a stone?”

“They would not have fought me,” Byakuya said simply. They’d reached a small well, and Byakuya stopped at it. Setting the plum blossoms at the lip of the well, he began working the pump. “If things had gone differently, I would have had nothing to bury of Rukia--not even her reputation. She would have been stricken from the Kuchiki rolls, forever. The Gotei wouldn’t care what I did with the body of my own lieutenant, especially given that it was by my own hand he was slain.”

When the water sputtered and then began to flow, Byakuya washed his hands. Renji moved to take over the pumping, as Byakuya took a bucket from a cubby along the wall and began to fill it with water. 

Renji was glad things had worked out the way they did for a number of reasons. Obviously, he was glad that he and Rukia were alive. But, for another… he was weirdly glad not to end up as some kind of trophy in the Kuchiki grave. He wasn’t sure why, but the idea of Byakuya getting possession of his body bothered him a little. Maybe ‘cuz he was still a little miffed that Byakuya had cheated to win that fight. Six rod restraint and then slam him with the full force of bankai? 

Well, all was fair in love and war, Renji supposed, but that whole fight had been their relationship in a nutshell. 

And then for Byakuya to use his privilege to take Renji’s remains…

You can’t consent when you’re dead. 

But, then again, Renji knew from Eishirō that it was all meant as an honor. He didn’t know why this bothered him now. Byakuya had finished filling the bucket, so Renji let the water slow and stop. Wiping his hands on his hakama, Renji glanced over his shoulder at the sea of stone markers. “These other… companions. Were they lovers?”

Following Renji’s gaze, Byakuya nodded. “Some. Some are favored concubines. Some are especially beloved servants or retainers who died bravely in service to the Kuchiki.”

Yeah, maybe that was what was bugging Renji: _favorite pets_.

Letting out a breath, Renji crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I guess it’s a good thing we’re getting hitched. My name gets carved in red next to yours on the main stone, right?”

It was kind of meant as a joke. Renji was pretty sure that was never gonna happen, but Byakuya let out a startled cough and said, “Yes… of course.” Picking up the plum blossom branch, Byakuya headed inside, “Provided you die before I do.”

Chuckling, Renji grabbed the picnic basket before following him in. “Yeah, I bet the family’d have a conniption fit."

“Without a doubt,” Byakuya said. “Honestly, it’s going to be difficult enough for them to accept you as my spouse at all. They hated Hisana, and she, at least, was a woman. She was also not a soldier, so she could play the part of a dutiful wife.”

‘Play the part’ was an interesting way to put it. Renji wasn’t sure what to make of that, either. He wanted to ask, but Hisana had always been a taboo subject between them. 

Or was she?

When Renji thought back, he couldn’t think of a single instance when Byakuya’d had shut down a conversation about her or had told Renji to butt out. Maybe, it was Renji that felt like an intruder on this subject. Perhaps he was the only one holding back these discussions. 

In fact, Byakuya had seemed more than a little relieved to have Renji along today, to share the burden of his grief.

Even so, Renji was a little tentative when he asked: “Um… so… er, ‘played at’? You saying Hisana wasn’t… uh, good at wife...ing?”

Byakuya let out a fond huff of a laugh. “No, Hisana was dreadful at the duties required of a lord’s lady. She was a lovely companion in the ways that mattered between a man and a woman. But, Hisana had never had a crust of bread to call her own, yet she was expected to run a multi-estate household. And, I was no help. Newly made lord myself, fresh from Academy and far more interested in mastering soldiering and my captaincy. What little energy I gave to clan business, I used to mitigate the most severe elements of the uproar over my breaking the arranged marriage in favor of Hisana.”

As they continued through the stones, Renji noted a number that simply read, ‘Beloved Concubine,’ with no other name. “So, this other lady--the one you were supposed to marry, is she still around?”

“Quite.”

There was something about the clipped way Byakuya spoke that made Renji curious. Despite the obvious warning in his tone, Renji had to know: “Did she ever marry?”

“No. Though I daresay she’s far happier… unfettered,” Byakuya said.

The odd little smile that briefly graced Byakuya's face at that little admission made Renji even more curious. “Never married anyone? Did her family come knocking again after Hisana died?”

“No, it was far too late by that time. She was fully instated as a Captain of the Gotei by that point,” Byakuya said easily, as if he weren’t dropping a humongous bomb. “Since the contractual breach, the Fon clan has almost entirely retreated from our court politics in favor of their own. It’s still, however, considered a tremendous loss of diplomacy between our two states---”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! WHAT? You and Soi Fon!?”

Byakuya, who had moved several paces ahead, stopped to glance over his shoulder at where Renji stood, dumbfounded. “It was a political arrangement, Renji. Though the Féng house is considered a lower order of the Shihōn family, the truth, is Soi Fon is the clan head of the Shāolíng, powerful foreign agents, who secretly supply vast quantities of silk, tea, and opium to the Seireitei. She was raised, in fact, as a hostage in our lands, just as Yoruichi’s younger brother, Yūshirō has been raised in hers.”

Renji’s brain reeled. His mouth hung open stupidly, and the grip he had on the picnic basket waivered. “Lady Yoruichi has a younger brother?”

“He’s coming of age, in fact,” Byakuya mused. Turning away, he continued his progression down the avenue lined by tightly arranged graves. “They’ll soon be forced to surrender him. I wonder how the Shihōn will compensate them for the loss of Soi Fon? Though, perhaps, they consider her high placement in the Gotei enough. Certainly, their interests are well guarded by the commander-in-chief of the Onmitsukidō.”

Renji’s feet started moving, if only to stay in range of hearing. “I’m still trying to imagine you and Soi Fon.”

“Please don’t,” Byakuya admonished. “She and I were never well-suited. I hardly even spoke to her, even during our betrothment, except through a matchmaker. I suspect that’s why our former betrothal hardly even affects our interactions as captains. I barely consider the odd, awkward young girl I was meant to marry as the same woman Soi Fon is now. Certainly, my family was angry with my decision to break the contract between our families, but she never was. It was clear she’d fallen for that hellcat long ago.”

Suddenly the Lady Yoruichi was ‘that hellcat,’ Renji noticed with a smile. This also explained a lot about the odd prickliness Renji’d sensed from Soi Fon… and maybe even her uncharacteristic kindness during Byakuya’s imprisonment in the Maggot’s Nest. “Wow,” Renji breathed. “What tangled webs we weave.”

“Never underestimate the incestuous nature of the noble houses,” Byakuya said tersely. 

They’d come to an unusually open section of the otherwise crowded graveyard. A long expanse of well-manicured grass led to a tall, imposing obsidian stone. Two huge camellia shrubs were in full bloom. Large, bright red flowers hung at the ends of branches of shiny broad leaves.

Byakuya paused midway to the stone. His eyes seemed to be focused on something. Renji scanned the scene, trying to parse what caused Byakuya’s reaction. Everything seemed in order. The gravesite was neat and clean, a fresh bouquet of small white flowers in a vase….

“Someone’s already been here,” Renji guessed.

“Rukia, from the looks of things,” Byakuya gestured to the delicate, droopy flowers. “Snowdrops. They’re not native, but Captain Ukitake cultivates them in Ugendō’s gardens.”

Right. So, that was no big deal, then. It was only Rukia coming to pay her respects, as well.

Byakuya still seemed uncertain, and approached the grave slowly. Setting down the bucket, Byakuya brushed the top of the stone with this hands. The surface was immaculate, but he went through the motions anyway. Renji hung back, watching. Taking the ladle that came with the bucket, Byakuya poured water over the stone, which briefly dulled the obsidian’s sheen. 

As Byakuya knelt and bowed his head, Renji looked away. 

He tried not to count how many graves were named, versus those only marked with ‘beloved’ or ‘honorable retainer.’ Instead, he watched the clouds--thin and fast-moving--carrying away yesterday’s rainstorm.

A sharp intake of breath had Renji’s attention snapping back to Byakuya. Byakuya was still crouched next to the grave, but he was staring at something in his hands. He turned to Renji, a soulful look in his usually impassive gray eyes. “I shouldn’t have read it. Rukia left it for Hisana.”

“What?” Renji asked moving closer to see.

Byakuya held out a thin slip of paper. On it, in Rukia’s extremely careful calligraphy read: “Dear sister, you should know that Byakuya kept his promise to you. Not only did he let me call him nii-sama, he was the best brother a girl could ever ask for. Thank you.”

Byakuya’s eyes were wet at the corners. “It’s a lie, Renji.”

Putting a hand on Byakuya’s shoulder, Renji knelt down beside him. “No, it ain’t. You found Rukia and lifted her up, gave her a family when she only had...” me, Renji choked back. This wasn’t the time for that, so he started again, “...when she had nothing.”

“But I would have let them--”

Renji cut him off, “But you didn’t. You put your body between her and death, like any good onii-chan would. That’s what matters in the end.” Renji let his hand make gentle circles on Byakuya’s back. “Anyway, it don’t matter what you think. Rukia says you were, so you were. Besides, it’s kind of obvious, ain’t it? If Rukia didn’t want you to read it, she wouldn’t have left it here. She’d have burned it as an offering or she would’ve just told Hisana, out loud or in a prayer. She wants you to know, Byakuya. Rukia wants you to know she forgives you, too.”

With that, Byakuya turned his face away. Renji feigned interest in all the Kuchiki names carved into the stone and held Byakuya close.

**Author's Note:**

> The Muse struck in reference to Byakuya's former betrothed. We can argue about Soi Fon's past, but I kind of like it. It also seems very obvious to me that Soi Fon reads as Chinese (but how the Chinese realm of the dead interacts with the Seireitei, I have NO IDEA).
> 
> So, yeah, if any of you are still reading... enjoy? I have thoughts for the next section, so with any luck it won't be another seven months before I post again! (And a thanks has to go to Josey for beta reading and cheerleading as always!)


End file.
